Reviews by Martha M.

Threatened is Eliot Schrefer's second book about endangered apes; this one centers on Chimpanzees in Gabon. (The first Endangered, about bonobos in Congo, was named a finalist for the national book award.) Threatened is the story of street orphan from Gabon who ends up living alone with a troop of chimpanzees. Extraordinarily compelling and fascinating, it is also at the same time quite assessable. His previous books, The School for Dangerous Girls and Glamorous Disasters among others, are written or kids who want to read for fun. So this story, so poetic and stirring, is written as popular and funny fiction, but about a topic about which Schrefer cares deeply.

Funny coming of age story about a precocious straight A student learning over the course of a year to deal with her father's devastating illness and all the changes that makes in her family -- and herself. Real and poignant and pungent with 1980's tinged truth. Might be a Newbery contender because Maggie's voice is very good.

This book was great! I only wish it was longer. Carlos Duarte, a NYC high school student aspiring to become a make up artist to the stars, is a very compelling narrator with a pungent voice. How he works toward his dream and how he overcomes some of the many obstacles in his way makes for a really good read. This is LGBTQ literature whose main point is not a coming out; Carlos' sexuality is not the book's the main point. The real story is his daring and focus and determination in the face of tough odds.